Cider Mag Winter 2015 Issue 52 | Page 18

Camp-N-Jam 6 at Rock Maple Woods Words and Photos By Drew Hines L ong meandering roads curve through New Hampshire’s rural landscape leading to Rock Maple Woods, the venue for this year’s CampN-Jam, a local music festival now in its sixth year. The long dirt driveway is only wide enough for one car and there is a handmade wooden sign hanging from a tree that says, “Welcome Home”. The warm hospitality can make anybody feel at home. Go-Local, the producers of the two-day, overnight festival, is a non-profit organization made up of a handful of passionate musicians and music lovers who feel that local music is an important element to a successful community. By promoting artists from New Hampshire and neighboring states, Go-Local is successfully rejuvenating the music scene in New Hampshire. “There's a wealth of amazing artists in the area that often go unnoticed and our goal has always been to bring them to the public’s attention in a way that has an impact on the community in a positive, memorable way by using unique venues and professional production,” says Go-Local member and Camp-N-Jam organizer Mark Trottier. Go-Local owns three mobile stages that were cumbersome and time consuming to build. What made Rock Maple Woods unique and perfect for Camp-NJam, is that there is a beautiful stage built on site out of logs and rustically aged wood. The front of the stage overlooks a naturally formed amphitheater scattered with large boulders and wooden benches. “The sound, production and lights were all top notch,” says Mike MacDonald, lead singer of the festival’s headliner, Strange Machines. He adds, “Cooper Leafe and Josh Blair at Upstream Sounds [who provided the sound for Camp-N-Jam] do phenomenal work!” 18 • CIDER MAG • cidermag.com Winter • 2015